Dumb Puppy Character Quiz Wrap-Up

And just what was the point of the Character Quiz exercise? I'm sure there are many things you could learn from doing it, but here are my take-aways:

1. Discovery and revelation of characters. I tried to answer the questions as fast as possible because I wanted impulsive answers that tap into my unconscious and contain an element of surprise. This is a great way to get around preconceived notions of character. The cherished childhood gift and what do you do in traffic questions were good prompts because they're specific and completely unrelated to anything to do with the play. Having the character describe their best attribute forced me to reduce the character to one word and was particularly insightful.
   
2. Establish voice and/or play with voice. The exercise exposed which characters I have a stronger connection to. Some developed as a result of the exercise. It was challenging to write for the two characters who are deliberately obscure. Their struggle in the play is to remember or reconnect with who they are and if that isn't possible, to devise some satisfactory solution to the problem.
   
3. Specificity. Title aside, this is not a play that pointedly critiques historical events or current political situations. That said, it's nice to know where base is and how characters are connected to their historical moment.